Trip to Minnesota

Heritage is my favorite store for everything beer.

 

hope you have a tour reservation, otherwise good luck, also worth checking out four firkins, they have steel toe which is great stuff.

 

Where will you be staying?

 

Follow Surly on Facebook, they'll post that they've opened a tour up on Friday mornings. When you see that you'll have about a ten minute window to sign up.

The Four Firkins is a great store for mixed singles and everything else.

 

I just visited a few weeks ago and if you want a tour of Surly GOOD LUCK!! Same with Summit both tours were alot of fun! Also a visit to Four Firkins is a must!

 

also, if you are around on a friday night and need something to do, steel toe brewing has a nice tour, just show up, starts at 6.

 

some good mix /sixers stores

Zipps
Four Firkens
ale jail (st.paul}

 

A trip to the Four Firkins is essential. The place is a homage to all things craft beer and the staff rocks. If you go on a Friday or Saturday after 6:00, they will be pouring samples as well...

 

I'd skip Firkins. Liquor Barrel in St. Louis Park is a better price and you can still get some great Steel Toe. Ale Jail in Saint Paul has one of the most diverse selections of any store. Zips is the largest from my understanding, so you'll have plenty of options. Blue Max has 1000+ beers, but sometimes have been on the shelf for a bit. If you on the East side, a Trip to Dennis Brothers is always worth it. They pull little stuff out of their cellar here and there that is a fun surprise.

Cheers

 

Why in the world would you skip The Firkins and go to The Liquor Barrel? What?? Have you been to the new one?

 

Yeah. It's okay. Smaller area, selection is okay, prices are high. Oh yeah, and I got a 10yo old ale they were selling that was poorly stored, the cork fell to pieces, and the beer was straight vinegar. $9 down the drain. Of MN beer, Liquor Barrel gets the same stuff FF does, and sells everything else cheaper.

 

Should Four Firkins, which has been open for less than four years, be completely responsible for a poorly stored ten year old bottle? I get your point that things are cheaper at Liqour Barrel, but there service is some of the worst I've ever experienced at a liquor store. You get what you pay for...I guess. Sometimes what you are paying for is better service.

 

I guess your experience varies from mine. But it depends on who's behind the counter. I had the guys a LB hook me up with some beers and tell me if I like them, bring something back to trade. Pretty personable to me. As for FF, regardless of how long they have been around, they are the face behind the product they sell. Example: A grocery store that opened 4 years ago sells you food that makes you sick. Who do you go after? The one who sold it to you. None the less, I still think there are better selections and more fair prices in town. Maybe not on the West side.

 

There are certainly places with better selections than Four Firkins in the TC area, and nearly every liquor in town has better prices than they do. However, I still believe it is the beer store destination in the Twin Cities if for no other reason than its atmosphere. It's like a beer museum that sells beer, and I think that counts for something.

 

I would agree with you that Alvey advertises himself extremely well. But dark hardwood only goes so far. You can go into Dennis Brothers (I know it's further away) and get that same warm feeling from a store. Most of the craft beer stores in MN are good about not having that sterile feel of a MGM. But I don't think FF is worth going out of your way for. Even more with somewhere like South Lyndale Liquor within a reasonable distance with a more diverse selection.

 

You have a good point without making incorrect analogies. I think the idea was that a store that has been open for four years hasn't been in control of a 10 year old product for it's entire life. Are the prices high at the FF, yes. Do I go elsewhere, yes. But when I am in the neighborhood I will always stop by, talk to some of the guys who work there, and enjoy myself.

If there is one store to stop at in the cities, I would say it is Zipp's. But that is just my opinion.

 

Completely agree with this!

 

I don't know. I love the Firk. The selection is great. The staff is wonderful, and to imply that the only thing that sets it apart is the dark hardwood interior completely ignores all the handpicked breweriana and other collectibles they have put into the place. We are talking about a big expense here just for the love of it. As far as taking care of the beers, I challenge you to name another place that installed UV filters on their lights, constructed a front display to knock out the sun on any of it's product and keeps the interior temp at 60 degrees to keep all of the stock cool. These guys have gone out of their way to take really good care of the beer. I also challenge you to tell me of another place whose Beer Manager is a certified Cicerone with others in the program. If you like other places, that is great. There are certainly other good stores filled with good people around, but bashing the Firk, or going out of your way to say "skip it" seems a little off....

 

Go to Heritage, for sure. Also, make sure to check out Town Hall. The food is good, the beer is great!